Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
FOREVER AND ETERNITY
Brief but is life, but love is long.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
"You know, Evans, I've been thinking – "
"Oh, mercy."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, James."
"It has to mean something, else you wouldn't you wouldn't have said it."
"Well, to be honest, when you say those words – I've been thinking – it usually doesn't bode well for the general populace at large."
"Oy! I resent that statement!"
"Similar to the way others resent you and your thinking?"
"You don't even know what I'm going to say, and already you're thinking the worst of me. Whatever happened to giving a chap his fair chance to speak?"
"Fine, Potter. Say what you were going to say."
"Well, when you heave that great sigh like that, as though you're all put-out with me and simply humoring me, I don't think I want to say it anymore."
"Also fine by me."
"Evans, come on now! This is the part where you assure me that you do want to hear what it is I have to say, do a bit of begging so that I'll finally give in and share what I want to say."
"I have never begged anyone for anything in my life, Potter, and the day I do will be the day I die."
"Merlin, Evans – dramatic much? Alright, nix the begging – what about a little coaxing?"
"Oh, for the sake of everything that is well and good and holy, James! Will you just say what it is that you have to say?"
"So touchy you are tonight. I can't tell you how much this is making me want to find another bed, a more welcoming and friendly bed, to be exact."
"And, I can't tell you how much this senseless merry-go-round is making me want to hex the living daylights out of you. You are so insufferable sometimes, Potter!"
"But, you love me anyhow, yeah?"
"Can't, for the life of me, figure out why."
"Ouch. That certainly stings."
"And so will a Stinging Hex, if you don't say what the bloody hell it is you want to say."
"And, there is it! The coaxing I was looking for. See, Evans, that wasn't so hard now, was it? All of this could have been over and done with ages ago if you had simply – ouch, oh fuck that hurts – "
"Told you I would nail you with a hex. Perhaps next time you will believe me."
"Oh, that is so it, Evans. I mean, really! Hexing me in my own bed? That was – "
"Totally deserved. You talk too much, Potter. I gave you your coaxing, now say what it is you want to say."
"Don't rightly know if I want to say it anymore. If you're willing to hex me while we're in bed, then you make a wizard wonder what else it is that you'll do when he closes his eyes for the night."
"And I'm the dramatic one? It was a simple Stinging Hex, the same as if I pinched you. Act like the grown-arse wizard you say you are and take it like a man."
"When the bloody hell did you get so abrasive, Evans? What happened to the smiling and soft little flower you used to be?"
"She has seen too much darkness and pain and death and despair, Potter, not had enough sunlight and comfort and life and joy. Therefore, she has been forced to toughen up her petals in order to survive. She'd rather harden her petals than wilt completely, so take this or leave it."
"Well. Nice metaphor, that is. But, a definite mood-killer. Killed the mood so badly, you'd have to wonder if Death Eaters got to it."
"Do not joke about things like that, Potter. It isn't funny in the slightest."
"You have to joke about things like that sometimes, Evans, otherwise the sheer darkness of it all will eat you alive."
"Well, I'm not laughing."
"You should. You should laugh and smile and live and be happy every single day of every single year. Laugh and smile until it hurts, until you feel as if you can't do anything else."
"What is there to laugh and smile for, Potter? Our dead friends? The murdered Muggles and Muggleborns and blood-traitors? Or, what about the fact that we've targets on our back that are painted the brightest, most brilliant shade of red there is? There is nothing to laugh and smile about, Potter. There is nothing…nothing to live for these days."
"Shut up, Evans. You shut up talking like that right now."
"It is the truth, Potter, and you know it."
"It is not! There is plenty to live for, plenty to laugh about and smile about. Laugh and smile because you're here and living and breathing, because you're surviving and fighting. Laugh and smile because it is the best and most powerful weapon, the most invincible thing that we could ever hope fight against the poison that Voldemort and his fucking minions are trying to spread throughout our world. Every moment you laugh and smile, every moment you live your life and love it, you are taking back a bit of that power that Voldemort has gained and wants to continue gaining. He wants power over us, Evans, over us all. Our lives, our happiness – he wants to rip that away from us and force upon us death and misery and cruelty and hopelessness. If he forces that on us and we sit back and accept it, we're as good as feeding his evil, strengthening it until it is undefeatable and all we know. Don't let him, Evans. Don't let him take away our laughter and our smiles, our happiness and hope – our very lives. You understand, Evans? Do not let him!"
"This…this is why."
"I beg your pardon?"
"That's why, that right there is exactly why I love you."
"What? Because of my ability to make impassioned speeches on the evil of Dark Lords and his twisted and equally evil desires?"
"No, stupid. I love you because you are so strong, you have such heart to you that it is impossible to feel weak or hopeless or despaired around you. You – you've got this inner light about you that absolutely refuses to be dimmed or put out by this fucking war, by Voldemort, or his Death Eaters, or anything they do. That light, that heart – oh, James, it brings light into my life and into my heart. Each moment that I'm around you, whenever I feel like that – hopeless, lost, miserable, despaired…you make me believe in what we are fighting for. When I'm around you, I feel hope and I feel strength – I feel like I can make it, because you make me feel like I can do anything. And, James – oh, James, I want to feel like this forever."
"Ahem. Well, now. It seems as though you're trying to steal my thunder there, Evans. Making impassioned little speeches of your own, are we? Though, I must say that you're speech tops mine by miles – simply because you're talking about me and my undeniable and innate awesomeness."
"Oh, shut it, you toerag."
"Only if you shut it with me…"
"Careful there, Potter – you're going to start something you have no chance of finishing."
"Are you certain about that, O Virginal Evans? I'm sure with another, hmm – two, maybe three of those meticulously executed kisses, I could convince you that starting something is worth finishing."
"The answer was absolutely not the first time and it's going to remain an absolutely not until – "
"Your wedding night. Yes, yes – I know."
"Then, stop attempting to go there. You wouldn't want that Stinging Hex you received a few minutes ago to stray further downwards, would you?"
"You wouldn't."
"Try me, Potter."
"Well, isn't that a bit of an oxymoron – you want me to try you, but then you threaten the family jewels because I attempted to try you?"
"You are the single most insufferable little creature to walk this earth, James Evangelos Potter."
"But, you're laughing at this single most insufferable little creature, aren't you?"
"That I am."
"Then a singularly most insufferable creature I will continue to be, forever and ever, so long as my insufferabilityness keeps that gorgeous smile of yours shining bright and that beautiful laugh ringing clear."
"Potter, insufferabilityness is not a word. Not in any language in any country on this entire earth."
"Well, then, you've not visited Jamesland, have you? I'll have you know that insufferabilityness is the national word."
"Is it now?"
"Yes, it is. It was originally Elvendork, but it was discovered that it inexplicably offended most of the Jameslanders, the grave insult causing mass rioting – of which resulted in the destruction of the sacred national monument."
"Which was?"
"The Almighty and Omnipotent, The One and Only, The Great and Blessed Quidditch Pitch of Jamesland."
"I see."
"Yes. It broke the heart of many, crushed the spirits of thousand more. It was then decided that Elvendork had to be done away with, and thus, it was retired as the national word. Insufferabilityness was instated as the new creed and peace was once more restored to Jamesland."
"The end?"
"The end. Ah, there is it again! That angelic little laugh, that melodic giggle that is the purest music to my mere mortal ears, that – that piggish snort? Evans, you snort when you laugh?"
"Only when I'm laughing at a fool!"
"Ah, a fool I am, but a fool I will remain, so long as I have your love."
"Then forever and eternity shall you remain a fool, Potter."
"Forever and eternity is a long time."
"Forever and eternity isn't long enough."
"What say you, then, to seeing exactly how long forever and eternity stretches?"
"What?"
"I didn't stutter, Evans. I want to see how long forever and eternity stretches and I want to find out with you by my side."
"What – what are you saying, James?"
"For someone who was declared the brightest and most talented witch of our year, you certainly are stupid, Evans."
"Don't call me stupid, idiot! Stop speaking in romantic riddles and purple-prose poems and perhaps I'll be sure of what you're saying."
"Wizards are incapable of logic, Evans, but you are a witch. What is it that you think I'm saying?"
"If what you're saying is what I think you're saying, then you'll have to come out and say it before I say what I think you want me to say."
"Ooh, nice, Evans, very nice. I think a trip to Hogwarts is in order so you can tell that to the Ravenclaw doorknocker. She'll like that, Rowena will. Not a riddle, per se, but definitely something that will – "
"Bugger Ravenclaw doorknockers and bugger Rowena herself! What are you saying, Potter?"
"I'm saying that I want to discover how long forever and eternity stretches, whether or not it is a long time or whether or not it is not long enough. I want your wedding night to be our wedding night, in Paris or Rome or the Far East or whenever in the whole wide world you want it to be. I want to keep you laughing and smiling, every second of every minute of every hour of every day. I want to continue bringing light into your life and into your heart, with everything I have in me, everything I am, and everything I want to be. And, I want do all of that, and an endless amount more, for whatever amount of time forever and eternity stretches long, with you as my wife."
"Oh, James…"
"While you attempting to suck my face off is an answer in and of itself, I want you to say it, Evans."
"Yes, you stupid, idiotic, single most insufferable little creature to ever walk this earth. Yes, yes, yes!"
"Oh, Evans…"
"Now who's sucking off who's face? And, don't mock me, Potter!"
"I wasn't mocking you. I meant that. Oh, Evans – or, should I start calling you Potter?"
"Evans will do quite nicely, thank you."
"Wait a mo – you're not going to go all witch-power on me and not take my last name, are you?"
"No, James, I will not go all witch-power on you and refuse to take your name. Even though if I wanted to, there wouldn't be a damned thing you could do to stop me. It would bring me to greater joy than to be known to everyone in the universe as Mrs. James Evangelos Potter."
"Nice as that sounds – and damn it, doesn't that sound nice! – you shouldn't simply be known as Mrs. James Evangelos Potter. You were Lily Clarice Evans for nineteen years before you became Mrs. James Evangelos Potter."
"Oh, how witch-power of you, Potter. So concerned with my witchly identity, you are."
"Not witch-power of me, just…oh, Merlin, that was witch-power of me, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was – but, this witch appreciates that power. Therefore, to appease your inner witch-power enthusiast, I will be known to everyone in the universe as Mrs. Lily Clarice Evans Potter. Appeased?"
"Thoroughly appeased and more than pleased, Mrs. Lily Clarice Evans Potter. That, in fact, sounds even better than Mrs. James Evangelos Potter."
"Then it is settled. Now, if you'll allow it, Mrs. Lily Clarice Evans Potter would dearly like to get some sleep. I can see the window beginning to lighten, and you know me – the moment the sun hits my face, I'm awake for the day. And, awake for the day, when I hadn't been to sleep in a full day, does not bode well for the general populace at large."
"It's like my thinking, then?"
"Indeed. So, let us lock away those general populace-threatening weapons and sleep."
"As you wish, Mrs. Lily Clarice Evans Potter. Good night, then – or, should I say good morning?"
"You should say sleep."
"Fine, then – sleep. There, said it."
"Now do what you say."
"'Night-morning, Evans. I love you."
"Not as much as I love you."
"You're right, it's not as much – it's more."
"Isn't."
"Is."
"Isn't.
"Is."
"This can go on forever and eternity, you know."
"Then, let it. Because that's exactly what we have, Lily – forever and eternity."
Finite Incantatem